Other People

Nassim Taleb writes: Other people's rituals look ridiculous.

Cultural diversity gives us more "other people" we can't understand, with more rituals we can't understand, with different worldviews at odds with ours. How else could we get along well but by mutually ignoring each other and maintaining a safe distance? We might enjoy their food and colorful clothing, but until they renounce their culture, heritage, and beliefs to parrot ours, or we both renounce everything to adopt consumer culture, our measurements will remain totally divergent and our efforts oppositional.

Unless you are part of a modern consumer culture, which is only a fabrication of replacing culture with disposible products and entertainment, your culture is vast, rich, inspiring, and full of curious works from dozens of your country's best geniuses. Why would anyone but a depressed person give that up to spend a weekend buying junk from China, moving cartoon characters around on a screen, or watching grown men throw a ball?

Our people, whoever they are, are incredible. By becoming familiar with their greatest works, our spirits remain alive in our shared exploration of life and aligned again with our eternal chain.